Biologist who predicted death for insurers says one daily habit costs Americans $117 billion and 3.4 years of life

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Biologist Gary Brecka analyzed customer data for life insurance companies to estimate how long people would live. Here's one key habit he says can lengthen a lifespan.

For years, Gary Brecka analyzed customer data for life insurance companies to estimate how long people would live. Now 56, the Miami-based biologist says that work showed him how dangerous it is to sit for most of the day.

Brecka told Business Insider that a person's daily routine tells him a lot about where their health is headed.

"I'll show you where they'll be in three to five years," he told the outlet.

Brecka is now a wellness entrepreneur. He co-founded the Ultimate Longevity Center, a chain that offers hyperbaric sessions, red light beds and IV drips. He also said he's spent a seven-figure sum on that kind of equipment for his own two homes.

Still, he said cheap, everyday habits do more for your health than any of it. His list is sleep, unprocessed food, exercise and time with other people — and moving is one he never skips. He schedules time for it every day.

According to the Centers for Disease and Control (CDC), only one in four U.S. adults get the cardio and strength training for which federal guidelines call. Falling short shows up in medical bills and in how long people live.

Here's what the research says — and how to get moving without spending much.

As Brecka described it, his job was to look for patterns in customer records that predicted who would live longer. Inactivity was a big one, and he now goes as far as comparing sitting to smoking.

Brecka's training is in biology, not medicine. He has a biology degree from Frostburg State University in Maryland and a human biology degree from the National College of Chiropractic. But Frostburg's alumni profile mentions that critics have questioned his credentials.

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